Un-boa-lievable! Police rescue 4-foot-long boa constrictor from car engine

By Nathan Pynn

This is the dramatic moment a 4ft-long boa constrictor was pulled from a car engine after terrified residents spotted it slithering down a driveway.

Cops raced to a home in Sherwood, Notts., where they found the snake had vanished beneath a parked vehicle.

But when officers lifted the hood, they were stunned to discover the reptile curled up inside the engine bay last Friday, Sept. 11.

PC Dan Howard and Sergeant Joanna Stanbridge improvised a rescue using a wire coat hanger taped to a police baton.

Using the makeshift snake hook and a stab vest bag, they searched the engine before coaxing the boa from its hiding place.

PC Howard eventually grabbed the snake and, with help from Sgt Stanbridge, bundled it into a bag.

The boa constrictor was later taken to a local vet while efforts were made to trace its owner.

Chief Inspector Paul Hennessy, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "This incident showcased perfectly the variety of different situations our officers can find themselves in when they start a shift.

"While I doubt any of them will have had snake wrangler listed among their skill set before, the officers did a great job thinking on their feet in the manner they did.

"Having heard a large snake had slithered under a vehicle and into the car's engine bay, they managed to create a makeshift snake hook, which they then used to coax the animal out from its hiding place.

"Their actions ultimately resulted in the 4ft-long boa constrictor being safely retrieved from the car engine without coming to any harm, which was good to see.

"As I say, this was just the latest reminder that, in policing, no two shifts are ever the same."